MAD & MADDER
by Tyler's soap
Summary: Jervis Tetch is a neurosurgeon with an unhealthy passion for Lewis Carroll's works which leads him to Arkham Asylum where the Joker is currently locked up in. What happens when these two madmen cross paths? More characters will show up along the way.
1. MEET THE HATTER

**CHAPTER ONE**

**MEET THE HATTER**

**

* * *

**

Sunday mornings in Gotham City were often gloomy and quiet. They symbolized the end of another torturing week, and the start of a brand new one, full of unimaginable and frightening possibilities. Of course, you could try to see this unending cycle in a more optimistic point of view. Something along the lines of "make the next week better than the last one" or "live in the moment, don't worry about the future". But if you ever visited or even heard of Gotham, then you'll understand why its citizens aren't exactly known for being the most cheerful group of people.

Every day that passed, the city became more corrupt, more unethical…More insane.

Yet, that particular December morning was strangely pleasant. It had rained every day for the last two weeks…But that morning, even the weather seemed softer; quieter. Perhaps the storm that had haunted the city was finally passing. Maybe all the murders, the robberies, the crimes and madness…Maybe all that would go away once the rain stopped. Then, Gotham would be able to finally rest in peace and quiet.

_Riiiiiiing._

Jervis' lazy blue eyes fluttered open once the doorbell rang. The sound broke his focus. He'd been staring out his kitchen's window while waiting for his tea to warm up. The man calmly turned away from the sink and stared at the door of his apartment for a couple of seconds without any intention of moving from the spot he stood on. Who could it be at ten o'clock in the morning? Jervis had his suspicions.

_Riiiiiiiiiiiiing._

The bell was accompanied by a demanding knock on the door this time. The skinny man gave a light sigh, passed with his hand through his black hair and finally decided it was time to answer whoever was standing outside. Jervis stood in front of the entrance, quietly, almost pressing his ear against the door. He could hear people talking. Two men. Another sigh escaped from his lips. Large boney fingers quickly unlocked the locks on his door before putting his polite smile on and opening the door. Yes. Of course Jervis was right.

"Good morning, officers, how may I help you?"

Two men stood outside. Jackets soaked, dripping all over Jervis' welcome mat. They held their badges up, not bothering to mimic the smile Jervis had offered them. _How unpleasant._

"Hello, Dr. Tetch. I'm Detective Harvey Bullock, and this is Officer James Hewlett. We need to ask you a few questions. May we come in?"

Jervis' smile grew a bit wider as he nodded. "Of course. Please, come in." He walked back into the kitchen, followed by the two men. The one called Bollock glanced around with furrowed eyebrows, examining every last tile covering the kitchen's walls while the younger male followed him quietly. "Take a seat. I was just making some black tea. Would you enjoy a cup? Coffee perhaps?"

Bullock shook his head. "No thank you. Dr. Tetch. We've already had our morning coffee." The younger male glanced at the detective with an arched eyebrow, as if ready to disagree with that statement. But he kept quiet and sat down, just like Bullock. Jervis gave a small nod and poured some tea in a small white cup. Just because his guests weren't in the mood for a tea party, didn't mean Jervis couldn't have fun by himself.

"I suppose you are aware why I'm here, right? The rumors that have been running around Gotham about your clinic are a bit troubling, Doctor."

Jervis' smile faded as he sat down in front of the officers, cup in hand. "Hm. Yes. My co-workers and I have been bothered by the media for the last few days. And from what I've understood they're as much as a pain in the neck to me as they are to you and your department." The doctor took a sip of his tea. His lips curled a bit. Ah. _Excellent tea._

Bullock released a small chuckle that could easily be mistaken by a cough and nodded at Jervis. "Yes, now that's true, Dr. Tetch. It's very hard to keep anything from the media." He suddenly went serious and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table in front of him. "But it's also very hard to keep anything from _us_." He paused on his tea sipping when the detective made that statement. Both stared at each other for a couple of seconds before the conversation could continue.

"Tell me, what have you heard, Doctor?"

He shrugged while gently placing his cup down. "The same as everyone else. Horrible accusations of me performing macabre experiments on my patients against their will. I've even heard that a newspaper published a whole article about my high school years. To think they actually bothered flying all the way to London to interview my poor old teachers..."

"And Lauren Summers."

The corner of Jervis' lip seemed to have a short spasm when hearing that name. Lauren Summers? Yes. They had interviewed Lauren Summers. Jervis had heard about it, but never actually bothered to read his ex-lover's statement about his personality. _Fucking Lauren._ "I read what she said about you, Doc. She referred to you as mentally unstable and obsessive. Said something about you having a thing for Alice in Wonderland?"

Tetch closed his eyes for a second._ Mother Fucking Shit For Brains Lauren Summers. _He opened them again and smiled, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "Lauren Summers was my girlfriend, Detective. I'm not proud to say this, but, back in the day, I was only dating her for sexual purposes." Lies. Lauren was ugly. All his friends said she was rather attractive and eighty percent of his high school's male population wanted to date her. But Lauren Summers was ugly. Corny brown hair. Corny brown eyes. Corny tanned skin. Corny. Not beautiful.

"After I got what I wanted I dumped Ms. Summers. The poor thing has held a grudge against me ever since. And honestly, I don't blame her. I was an awful boyfriend. It's only natural for her to say those awful things about me."

He took another sip from his tea. Bullock switched a glance with officer Hewlett when he thought that Jervis wasn't looking. But he was. The detective turned back to look at Tetch.

"Uh-huh. Well, despite all that, Doc., these accusations are pretty worrying. Twenty-three of your patients have gone missing in the last seven years. No trace of them. Just gone like that. Well. Except for four of them who have been found floating by the Bay. Heads stitched up, bodies stripped naked…And with pages from the books Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the looking glass stuck in their throats."

_Fucking. Lauren._ Jervis listened carefully but didn't look back at any of the officers; too afraid of showing any emotion towards that description. Instead he focused his eyes on his cup of tea. Remained calm and quiet. _That cock sucking Lauren Summers told them about his passion for Alice in Wonderland. Now they had found the corpses and the pages shoved down their necks…Jervis knew that had been a bad idea. He shouldn't have. But it would be such a waste…To throw those bodies into the bay like a common mobster without leaving some kind of signature. It wouldn't have been a problem if they didn't know about Jervis' appreciation for Lewis Carroll work. But Lauren had to open her big fat mouth. And now they knew everything. They knew everything and it was Lauren's fault. Fucking soon to be dead Lauren._

"...Oh. Have you now? Hm. I need to have a serious talk with Lauren then. If she keeps this up I might end up in jail. She's still in London you say?"

Bullock shook his head. "You're not allowed to leave Gotham, Dr. Tetch." He calmly said, a small smile spread across his face. Jervis pretended not to see it. He took another sip.

" You see, we began investigating your past a little deeper. You had a girlfriend here in Gotham didn't you? Lived right across the street. Vanessa? Blond hair. Blue eyes. About...Ten years younger than you?"

He had drunk his tea to the very last drop, and yet, his throat was drying up. Jervis' tongue passed over his lower lip. "Yes." The doctor mumbled. Bullock sighed, rubbing his forehead impatiently. Jervis needed more tea. He got up and refilled his cup.

"She left three years ago because of a job offer in Seattle. We tried contacting her. Turns out Vanessa never got to Seattle, Doc."

Tetch gently put the teapot down and stood there with his back turned to his guests for a couple of seconds. Staring out the window over his sink again. That window...He used to watch Vanessa. She lived right across the street. Sometimes forgot to close her blinds. Jervis knew every inch of her body by heart even before they started dating.

"...That…Is very worrying." He paused there. A bit too long. Reflecting on what he could or should say. "Have you found out where she is?"

"Not yet. But I'm guessing she must be where your other nineteen patients are." Jervis peeked over his shoulder, not resisting the urge he had to see just what Bullock's expression was as he said that. He wasn't smiling with his mouth. But his brown eyes almost seemed to be laughing at Jervis.

"Doc. I don't mean to be rude, but I've noticed you're not very good when it comes to relationships. Lauren Summers seems to hate your gates, Vanessa and you were engaged and yet she takes a job offer on the other side of the country...I mean…What happened?"

Tetch sat down again and bended a leg over the other. "She left me. Apparently some of my...habits bothered her. She didn't enjoy living with me anymore and decided to pack things up. Probably for the best really, we couldn't have a single meal without fighting anymore. But I assure you that, Alice and I broke up but in good terms. There were no hard feelings between us after the separation. I was actually very happy for her when she got that job offer in Seattle." Jervis pressed a hand over his chest, showing the other two he actually meant what he said.

And a moment of silence came up. And now, Bullock's lips smiled. Jervis could see it clearly. Not a toothy and wide smile. But it was there.

"...It's Vanessa, Dr. Tetch. Not Alice."

Jervis stared blankly at the detective, his fingers pressing hard against the cup in front of him. He could see by the corner of his eye that the younger official had gone tense. Hands slowly moving to reach for his gun. _Shit._

"Of course. Vanessa. How silly of me."

Jervis said with a small chuckle, having another hand to pass through his hair. But as soon as he lowered his hand to grab the cup of tea again, two guns were being pointed at him. "Dr. Tetch. I am going to have to ask you to place both of your hands behind your head. Anything you say will be used against you. Please cooperate and nobody needs to get hurt. Now, you must tell me where you're hiding the bodies."

The doctor felt his mouth and left eye twitching uncontrollably. Involuntary spasms. It didn't matter anymore. They knew. They knew everything. Everything he had worked so hard on. Years and years of exploring and experimenting, thrown away by a couple of cops. Jervis looked up and bit his lower lip, chuckling a bit, as if he had just pictured something funny inside his head.

"...You know, the human brain is really a fascinating organ. All those unexplored areas all the...The possibilities. You know there's an area of the brain designated only for guilt? Imagine. To eliminate that feeling permanently...How marvelous would that be?" He sat back, rubbing his chin while shifting his eyes between his guests. "I haven't found a way to do that yet. But I'm working on it, don't you worry. I suspect it can't be harder than performing lobotomy, really. All it takes is one nail, large enough to break through the human skull…And you can eliminate stress_ completely_." He whispered that last word, leaning a bit forward, as if it was meant to be a secret.

"Of course, lobotomy also seems to eliminate most of your independent brain functions...But still. Can't make an omelet without cracking a few heads, Detective, that's what I always say!"

Another chuckle escaped from his lips. Bullock was biting down his tongue, doing his best not to snap at the neurosurgeon. "...Doctor. What have you done to Vanessa's body? Where is it?"

Jervis rolled his eyes, and shrugged his shoulders dramatically, shaking his head disapprovingly.

"She had to find out. Used to follow me around in her car, thought I was having an affair. How _ridiculous_ of her to think that! I could never have an affair with another woman. She was perfect! Blond hair, blue eyes, pale soft skin. She was...the perfect girl. Alice that is. Not Vanessa. Vanessa was, if I may be so bold, a slut. A little dirty slut. Following me, spying on me with her shifty eyes."

Jervis pauses to glance at his cup. He nonchalantly reaches for it and takes a large sip, drinking all the black tea. Once he was done, he gave a satisfied sigh and let the cup dangle between his fingers.

"Of course, she follows me down to the bay. Sees things she shouldn't. And you know how it goes. Things get complicated...Need to make quick decisions. I couldn't just let Alice leave me. So...Uhm… I grab my tire iron...And I hit her head with it. I hit it. Again and again and again until her pretty face isn't pretty anymore. That's what happened." Tetch sighed while looking down, as if having a flashback. Remembering his girlfriend's face, smiling and filled with life.

He threw the cup over his shoulder, making it hit a wall and break into tiny pieces that fell to the ground.

"Alice was always a curious little rascal, that she was...Not like Vanessa. Vanessa was nosy. Arrogant…Stupid." Jervis' face had slowly began to frown without him even realizing it. His eyes blinked a couple of times before looking back at the two officers who stared at him with puzzled expressions. Tetch chuckled and shook a finger at them.

"But, ah-ah-ah. If you gentlemen want to find her, you need to answer a crucial question, Detective."

Bullock narrowed his eyes, never lowering his gun.

"And what's that, Dr. Tetch?"

Jervis pursed his lips and calmly placed both of his hands behind his head.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

* * *

For those waiting for Joker to pop up, don't worry. Chapter two is on the way. And guess who's in it! 8D

Also, thank you very much for reading. Critics are appreciated. This is my first fanfic, and if you find grammatical errors, I'm really sorry.

English is not my mother tongue and I still have a lot to learn. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and stick around for more. :)


	2. AN UNOFFICIAL TEA PARTY

**CHAPTER TWO**

**AN UNOFFICIAL TEA PARTY**

**

* * *

**

"…How long has it been Steve? Two months? Three?"

"Three months and a half, George. Gotham's a freakin' mess. I bet all those guys who bad mouthed him are biting down their tongues right now."

Two guards walked down Arkham Asylum's halls, side by side, discussing the immense crime wave that had invaded Gotham since a certain caped crusader became public enemy number one. Their eyes didn't bother glancing at the cells they passed by. It was as if the Asylum's patients weren't even there.

Ignore the madness, and maybe it will ignore you back.

"Yeah, but you know what this means don't ya? This city is gonna burn itself down. We can't take care of ourselves. It's fuckin' pathetic!"

"Corrupt cops, helpless politicians, mad criminals…Seems like things can't get any worse."

"Oh, trust me. They can. But they won't as long as we keep all these crazies locked up in their cells."

As George said this, he pressed the safety code that would open a heavy metallic door, giving the two guards access to a patient's cell. Steve furrowed his eyebrows a bit as his co-worker did this, as if something was troubling him.

"Think he'll ever come back? You know. To save us all?"

"…Steve, this city has treated Batman like shit. I wish he would. He probably will. But he really shouldn't. "

"_Amen."_

A third voice said from inside the cell. The two guards turned their heads only to find the patient they were supposed to escort to the cafeteria sitting on the floor against one of the padded walls of his cell. Curly greenish hair that had been washed countless times, in a foolish attempt of getting rid of its unusual color fell over his face. Although the make-up he was famous for had been prohibited, there still were traces of black around his small dark eyes.

But his scars…Arkham 's staff couldn't get rid of those. They could try to, but they'd never take the clown out of the Joker.

"It's…good to know that we share the same point of view. _Georgie_."

The madman's eyes looked up at the guards without blinking. His left eye seemed to twitch slightly as he spoke George's nickname, tongue quickly passing over the corner of his mouth.

"You keep quiet clown."

Steve growled before grabbing one of Joker's arms and lifting him from the ground. George held his other arm, tightly enough to stop blood circulation. He didn't like being called Georgie. Especially not by that psycho.

Joker however, seemed to decide to ignore all this.

"You know…We actually have _a lot_ in common." He began, looking up at the ceiling momentarily, as if trying to remember what a terrorist clown and a staff member of an asylum for the criminally insane could possibly share.

"We both enjoy wearing uniforms. Uhm. We both like…Asylums. I mean…Why else would we spend so much time here? Hm?"

The man stared at George, as if actually expecting an answer from the man. But none of the guards answered him. They decided to ignore the clown and just drag him out of his cell, like they were supposed to. The Joker sighed before looking up again and licking his front teeth.

"And we both enjoy…Women. Don't we Georgie? Doctors. In their late twenties…With uhm. Blue eyes. Cupid bowed lips. Blond hair…"

George's eyes slowly widened at the man's description.

"…Wh-who like dogs and…Strawberry ice-cream. Who enjoy staying home on Friday nights, watching chick flicks with their boyfriends who spend the whole movie trying to get some action…But, unfortunately, fail to understand how unappealing they are."

George eyes seemed ready to pop out of their skull as he stared at the man in the straitjacket. The Joker, on the other hand, smiled and waggled his eyebrows at the guard.

"Would be nice to find a girl like that. Wouldn't it Georgie?"

Before Steven could say anything, George had released the clown's arm and punched him across the face, making the Joker lose his balance. Steve tried to steady the man. But his hand slipped away from the clown's arm, letting him fall on the ground.

George gritted his teeth, breathing heavily, like a mad dog, ready to bite someone's head off.

"You stay away from her you freak or I swear I'll break you in two. You hear me?"

Under the guard's angry shouting, the Joker giggled and chuckled, biting his lower lip, as if he was actually trying to keep quiet. Steve sighed and placed a hand on his co-worker's shoulder.

"Calm down, damn it. If the ward knows you've been hitting the crazies again you'll get fired."

Under Steve's comforting touch, George seemed to calm down a bit. He nodded at the other guard… But couldn't help but to shoot a glare at the Joker, who rolled on the floor, trying to get up to a sitting position without the help of his arms.

"Break me…In two. Ohoh…Harvey would love you. Well. Half of him would."

The clown mumbled with a large scarred smile planted on his face. Steve gave his own disgusted glance at the patient but focused on George.

"Lets just drop him in the cafeteria and leave, 'ight? That's all we gotta do here. Nothin' else."

George shifted his eyes between the Joker and Steve before sighing a bit and nodding. Steve nodded back and calmly grabbed the madman's arm again, lifting him up from the floor. George stood there for a couple of seconds. If it were up to him, he would never touch or even cross paths with that maniac again, unless the ward gave him permission to break every yellow tooth on that clown's mouth. But he couldn't. And the Joker knew that. Why else would he be curling his lips at him?

His hand slowly grabbed the clown's arm again, grasping it even harder than before, hoping it would cause bruises on the freak's skin. George hated Joker's guts. He _hated_ him. And he hated the way he talked about Harleen.

They arrived to the cafeteria after a quiet walk through the halls of the Asylum. Steve and George removed the Joker's straitjacket and handed him over to the guards responsible for the surveillance of the cafeteria and every patient in it. Only certain people were allowed to use plates and forks to eat. Joker wasn't one of those people.

The green haired man was handed his plastic tray and ordered to sit down _quickly_. As if the mere action of standing was threatening. Ridiculous really. But the clown enjoyed all those outrageous and silly rules. It showed just how nervous he made Arkham's staff feel. And the Joker liked to know how the public felt about his _work_.

His nose wrinkled a bit as he examined the cafeteria. Tables were filled with hysterical or annoying people. Forty percent of those men and women hated the clown's guts. Fifty respected or feared him. And ten percent didn't even know what year they were in. Either way, the only available seat was next to a skinny inmate who simply stared down at his tray, poking the unidentified food with a spoon.

The clown arched an eyebrow. A new nutcase for the Joker to corrupt and manipulate. _How refreshing_. He lazily dropped himself on the seat next to the dark haired stranger, groaning a bit with pain. His ribs still hurt from the beating one of the guards had given him a couple of days ago. Joker couldn't remember what his motives were…But he did remember biting off one of the man's ear lobes. Ah. That had been a good day.

The man didn't seem to react to Joker's proximity. He was too busy examining the gooey brownish meal in front of him. Nobody knew exactly what Arkham's staff used for their lunches and dinners. Joker had always thought it was a mix of meats nobody else used. Faces, feet, tails and ears…All triturated into one, disgusting meal, filled with spices and aromas that would help the patients keep it down in their stomachs.

The Joker licked his lips while staring at the spoon inside the man's hand. Metal. Strong enough to poke one of the guard's eyes out. If only the clown could get that in _his_ reach. He cleared his throat, preparing to say something to the strange character who sat next to him. But the other man interrupted him before the clown even begun talking.

"Hello Cheshire." Jervis calmly turned his head to look at the Joker. "How nice of you to join me."


	3. BREAKFAST & HATS

**CHAPTER THREE**

**BREAKFAST & HATS  
**

**

* * *

**

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Come in."

Alfred calmly opened the door that lead to Bruce Wayne's room and sighed when noticing that his young master was staring at his laptop screen with a focused gaze, eyebrows furrowed as if whatever his computer screen was showing didn't please the man.

Although the bed sheets were covering his master's legs, Alfred was pretty sure Bruce hadn't slept. Again. The butler, in all honesty, was quite worried about his employer. The whole city had begun hating their protector ever since the Joker stepped in. Chaos, madness…Alfred hated to say it. But the Joker had shown people's true colors.

They were scared. Costumed madmen ran their city now. And Batman was the one to blame.

He quietly walked in and placed the breakfast tray on the nightstand next to Bruce's large bed. The prince of Gotham didn't look away from the computer screen. Mr. Pennyworth gave a small sigh.

"You know, when I advised you to spend the night in the penthouse, Master Wayne, I actually meant you should get some sleep."

A small smile flashed through Bruce's face as he typed something on his laptop.

"Sorry Alfred. I got distracted with work. "

The older man arched an eyebrow and titled his head a bit, in order to see what his employer was searching on the internet. Both of Alfred's blue eyes widened a bit.

"And by work we mean breaking into Arkham's confidential staff files, sir?"

Bruce's smile faded a bit as he scrolled down the page.

"We can't afford having Joker escaping that place. He almost destroyed Gotham."

Alfred examined Wayne's expression and pursed his lips a bit.

"With all due respect, Master Wayne, I don't think the Joker is your main priority at the moment."

Bruce's eyes finally pulled away from the screen and glanced at Alfred. His butler and most trusted friend had a small smile on his face. The kind of smile a father shows when catching their child with their hand stuck in the cookie jar.

"You don't need to hide anything from me, Master Bruce. But there are easier ways to catch a woman's attention. Like…Buying her a jet perhaps."

There was humor in Alfred's voice. Bruce stared at him for a couple of seconds before letting a very light chuckle escape from his lips. He looked away, glancing at the computer screen.

"Gotham is thankful for what Batman has done, sir. But you cannot forget who hides behind the mask. Bruce Wayne has a life of his own to live."

The young millionaire looked down and scratched the back of his neck. Bruce hadn't put on the Bat mask for several months now. Gotham despised him and blamed him for this plague of madness and violence. And, in all honesty, Bruce was having a hard time giving up his old vigilante habits. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to lose them…But what else could he do?

Even now, he spied on the woman he was currently seeing rather than talking to her face to face. This was not healthy. And Bruce knew it.

"...Thank you, Alfred."

The butler smiled and nodded politely.

"You're quite welcome, sir."

With that said he left the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Wayne took a last glance at his laptop's screen, examining the woman's picture with a serious expression as Alfred's words echoed inside his head.

"_Bruce Wayne has a life of his own to live."_

Gotham's prince calmly pressed the off button of his computer before getting up from his bed. He calmly walked over to his wardrobe and took out the clothes he'd be wearing that day. As he removed his pajamas and folded it, Bruce couldn't help but to glance at his laptop's screen one last time as Doctor Harleen Quinzel's file slowly faded into black.

* * *

The Joker blinked his eyes; slightly surprised at the name he had just been called. He had heard a lot of names throughout the years. Clown, freak, terrorist, nutcase, maniac, psycho, crazy, Jay man, monster…But never Cheshire. Jervis didn't seem bothered by the way the clown simply stared at him with narrowed eyes, as if trying to see through the neurologist's forehead and into his brain. The clown licked his scarred lips and crossed his arms over the table.

"Uhm. Yeah I…I think you're a bit confused."

Joker said while nodding with his head at Jervis, his mouth pulled into a sheepish smile. The other inmate however kept his polite little smile up and shook his head after releasing a warm little chuckle.

"Me? Confused? Oh, not at all, my friend. You _are_ the Cheshire Cat." Jervis said cheerily before pointing a slim finger in the clown's general direction. "Who else could you be with that devious smile of yours?" Jervis asked before resting his chin on his hand.

A moment of silence rose up between the two. Joker's once red lips pursed together as both eyebrows arched. That comment actually made sense. Well, in Arkham, sense had a different meaning than in the outside world. But still the Joker decided to see just how far he could stretch that man's insanity.

"Hm, so. If I'm the Cheshire…Then. _Who are you_?"

The brunette's smile grew wider when being asked who he was. His large hand was suddenly held in Joker's direction, waiting for him to shake it.

"I am the Mad Hatter."

Jervis said filled with pride and cheer. Mad Hatter…That was the name the newspapers had given him after the police found his poor victims with pages of Alice in Wonderland stuck down their throats. Dr. Tetch had enjoyed that name…He had found it quite a good compliment. To be named after one of his favorite characters of all time was nothing but an honor.

The green haired inmate didn't even glance at Jervis' hand. Instead he kept gazing into his eyes, looking for something that would make him crack. Joker wanted to know what it was that could make that bubbly and peculiar man break down and start crying like a newborn baby. He wanted to know what his limits were…To stick his cold fingers inside his mind and twist…

"Yeah, no. See…_You_…Don't have a hat."

The clown said pointing at Jervis' head with his eyes, before licking his lower lip, bringing his crossed arms closer to his chest. He felt quite pleased at that observation. Sure, Joker had the unusually large smile that resembled to the Cheshire Cat…But what did Jervis have?

Joker's lips twitched a bit when a small moment of awkward silence spread between the two of them. The skinny fellow just stared at him with wide puzzled eyes. And the clown thought he had won. Any minute now, he'd see something flashing before Jervis' eyes. The perfect little pretend world he had built around himself would come crushing down on him because of one obvious little fact that he had missed.

But suddenly, something happened.

Jervis shook his head. Simply shook it. As if disappointed at whatever the Joker had said.

"My dear friend…You should know by now," At this point, the Hatter leaned closer to the clown, making the Joker lean back a bit, wrinkling his nose in a comical expression of disgust.

"It is not the hat which makes the man. _It is the madness_."

And with that, Joker's eyes seemed to glint with fascination. Nobody would see it unless they were sitting where Jervis was. But it was there. The clown clicked with his tongue before grabbing Jervis hand ,which had already given up on receiving a shake, and squeezing it a bit too tightly.

"Couldn't. Have said it. _Better_."

That last word seemed more of a growl than anything else.

But the Joker wished no harm towards his new friend…At least not at the moment. No, he had much greater things to worry and think about at the moment. And now that he had met Jervis Tetch, Joker was sure that his plans of checking out of Arkham early would end up being rather successful.


End file.
